This year was very exciting. The year ended with my getting a content development role with RASA (Ramana Sunritiya Aalaya). I am grateful to Dr. Ambika Kameshwar (Founder and director of RASA). I am also grateful to Ms. Shilpi Myank Awasthi for giving me the opportunity to blog for Special Saathi. The skills and experience I gained will be invaluable for my work with RASA.

Three Key Moments in 2023

1. Getting a Job
I was delighted to get a job as a Content Development Officer for RASA. Natya Imprints blog is one of my responsibilities for this job. I hope to share a neurodivergent perspective on the benefits of Indian Natya. When Dr. Masgutova first suggested dance for me, my parents and I were very surprised because I had many motor challenges. But Bharatanatyam has been a game changer for me. Now that I have started exploring theater with RASA, the impacts are even more. I hope to inspire and motivate more neurodivergent learners to explore Indian natya. I hope parents and educators will also get ideas for using TAHD (Theater Arts for Holistic Development) as a tool for learning and development for all learners.

2. Becoming a RASA/TAHD Student Ambassador
I also became an ambassador for RASA/TAHD As an ambassador, my role is to
• Make people aware of TAHD
• Help people understand how TAHD helps lifelong learning
• How TAHD helps neurodivergent learners
3. Started Ananth’s Adventures Youtube Channel
One of the important moments in 2023 that is having lasting effects on what we do is the Ananth’s Adventures YouTube channel. We launched Ananth’s Adventures YouTube channel (January 2023). We shared the Pada Beda exploration as the first video from Ananth’s Adventures. This channel continued to grow in 2023.
I share lessons by Sri Ujwal Jagadeesh, my stories, my performances, my theater productions with RASA (Ramana Sunritya Aalaya) and other resources on Ananth’s Adventures.

Experiences and Achievements
I. SpecialSaathi Blog

I started blogging for Special Saathi in October 2022. Three of my recent posts are:

1. Autism Awareness and Help – Can I be a Dancing Judge? (specialsaathi.com)

2. How can we create jobs for neurodivergent individuals? (specialsaathi.com)

3. Autism Awareness and Help – Bridging the Neurodivide: Thinking with Circles (specialsaathi.com)

See my posts at
ananthraghunandan – Autism Awareness and Help (specialsaathi.com)

II. Ananth’s adventures YouTube channel
My YouTube channel has grown well in 2023. There are several playlists with useful resources for parents and educators. I am grateful to Sri Ujwal Jagadeesh of RMCL (Ramana Maharshi Center for Learning).

1. Body awareness
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqFzR-vYU-Zie54SRJJBqWDORT4K65lXx

2. Bharatanatyam basics
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqFzR-vYU-ZilCqKnBaBpxrU_zzprOunQ

3. Storytelling
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqFzR-vYU-ZhPqSt4pYlzWmln-EAmuhS1

4. Learning concepts through movement
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqFzR-vYU-Ziz3HINADZZTlCbicSh5wYZ

5. Ananth’s dance performance and practice
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqFzR-vYU-ZjsgY6SuF44eQ3XsMdmBQxL

6. Ananth’s theatre performance
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqFzR-vYU-ZikQkkzU2571oFZm7-Jv4cn

7. DSRP and Thinkblocks
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqFzR-vYU-ZgG2Wy5RZGAcL50UhNvTd9D
I am looking forward to developing my blog and YouTube channel in 2024.

8. Fold, Color, Talk
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqFzR-vYU-ZjEd12cHKx8pmB72ZbiYjok&si=nsZXKFzRtemoQh2r

About Ananth
Ananth Raghunandan is a student ambassador for (Ramana Sunritya Aalaya) RASA and Theater Arts for Holistic Development (TAHD). Ananth Raghunandan is doing a diploma in Bharatanatyam.

He enjoys folding circles and created Fold, Color, Talk with his mother Dr. Dasaratha Rama during an entrepreneurship camp. He is excited about his content development and digital storytelling journey.